XN000022-1987-01-26 — Page 6

UN

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 1987

THE 1979-80-BASED CPI(A) AND CPI(B) FOR DECEMBER 1986 WERE 166.9 AND 168.7 RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1986, CPI(A) AND CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED BY 0.2 PER CENT. THE AVERAGE CPI(A) AND AVERAGE CPI(B) FOR 1986, AT 164.3 AND 165.6 RESPECTIVELY, WERE 2.8 PER CENT AND 3.5 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR 1985.

PRICE MOVEMENTS DESCRIBED BELOW ARE BASED ON THE NEW CPI

SERIES.

DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 1986, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED NEW CPI(A) AND NEW CPI(B) BOTH INCREASED AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 0.5 PER CENT PER MONTH.

DURING DECEMBER, RENTS FOR PUBLIC DWELLINGS, RETAIL PRICES OF CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR, AND CHARGES FOR MEALS IN RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATING PLACES INCREASED. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES AND FRESH FRUIT DECREASED.

THE NEW CPI(A) AND THE NEW CPI(B) ARE BASED ON THE EXPENDITURE PATTERNS OF 50 PER CENT AND 30 PER CENT, RESPECTIVELY, OF URBAN HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG, WHICH WERE DERIVED FROM THE 1984-85 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY, THE NEW CPI(A) REFERS TO HOUSEHOLDS SPENDING BETWEEN $2 000 AND $6 499 A MONTH AT THAT TIME AND THE NEW CPI(B) BETWEEN $6 500 AND $9 999 A MONTH.

CHANGES IN THE INDEXES FOR DECEMBER 1986 IN RESPECT OF THE NINE COMMODITY/SERVICE SECTIONS IN THE TWO CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES, AS COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1986 AND DECEMBER 1985, ARE GIVEN BELOW.

(OCTOBER 1984 TO SEPTEMBER 1985 AVERAGE -

- 100)

NEW CPI(A)

NEW CPI(B)

INDEX FOR

SECTION

% CHANGE OVER DEC. 86 NOV. 86

% CHANGE OVER DEC. 85

INDEX % CHANGE % CHANGE FOR

OVER

OVER DEC. 86 NOV. 86 DEC. 95

FOODSTUFFS

101.1

-0.3

+2.0

101.7

-0.2

+2.2

HOUSING

108.2

+1.3

+5.4

106.3

+0.5

+4.2

FUEL AND LIGHT

88.4

-1.0

-11.4

88.9

-1.1

-10.9

/ALOCOHOLIC